Before watching senior Skylar Kuykendall and junior Abby Owens team up in doubles, one can see each tennis player individually brings her own set of talents to the court for the LSU women’s tennis team.
Kuykendall turned Intercollegiate Tennis Association heads during her junior season with a 30-8 overall singles record in tournaments and dual matches, an outing that earned her a preseason ITA ranking of
No. 52.
“It’s always good to be recognized for having a ranking,” Kuykendall said. “It definitely adds that little bit of pressure, but it gives you confidence at the same time.”
Prior to LSU, Kuykendall played for the University of Memphis, notching an overall 44-29 record and earning Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors in her first season.
After a 15-14 freshman season and an 18-8 sophomore season, Owens earned a nod from the ITA with a No. 106 ranking, marking her first collegiate ranking.
“It was really good for my confidence since I’ve never been ranked before this year,” Owens said. “It gave me a boost of confidence for the fall season.”
While Kuykendall and Owens find success in singles, teaming the two in doubles opened another realm of potential.
Last season, Kuykendall and Owens paired up to defeat then-No. 18 University of Florida and then-No. 20 Texas A&M University and notch an 11-10 doubles record, a noticeable effort earning them No. 59 in the ITA rankings this season.
The duo started tournament play this season with a win at the Wildcat Invite. They wrapped up their doubles play at the ITA Southern Regional, where they won multiple matches to move on to the finals before their defeat.
“It was amazing,” Owens said. “We didn’t really have super high expectations because we hadn’t been playing very well. Then we came back from match points down in the semifinals to make it to the finals. It was really fun.”
Kuykendall credits her and Owens playing similarly in singles to their success in doubles. Both players made their game more aggressive and have seen the results.
The duo uses its own experiences and styles from singles play to come together and dominate in doubles, Owens said.
“We play two back on the serve, so it’s pretty much like singles on our turn to serve,” Owens said. “It’s really helpful. We dominate from the baseline.”
Kuykendall and Owens’ success as a team doesn’t end when the match is over — the duo also have chemistry off the court that translates into their play.
Owens said her friendship with Kuykendall is different from other doubles teams because the two have fun together both on and off the court.
“We have so much fun. We really don’t let each other get down,” Kuykendall said. “We’re always there to make each other laugh. We’re there for each other, we get past things and have so much fun doing it.”
The Lady Tigers wrapped up their preseason at the Rebel Invitational and will open dual match play at home Jan. 16 against Nicholls State University.
Preparing for the upcoming season, Kuykendall said she wants to help the team make it to the NCAA Championships Round of 16 and the Elite Eight, while Owens’ goal is to improve while continuing to be a good teammate.
“I feel like there’s so much room for improvement for me, so I just want to keep getting better and keep being a good teammate,” Owens said.

Gallery • 1 Photos

LSU Sports Information

Skylar Kuykendall